Of all the renowned modern architects who have contributed their talents to the development of Abama Resort, few have left a mark as indelible as that of Leonardo Omar Arquitectos, particularly when it comes to our Custom Villa new-build homes. The young and dynamic team founded in 2001 by architect Leonardo Omar has designed 10 of our luxury villas, as well as our Las Casas del Lago community.
Based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the studio has the capacity to execute complete projects that include architecture, interior design, construction, and landscaping. Sustainability is the focus of every commission Leonardo Omar undertakes, and they are committed to advancing architecture that complements and references the unique geography of the Canary Islands. The multidisciplinary team includes architects, civil engineers, industrial engineers, topographers, telecommunications engineers, and interior designers, all charged with incorporating factors like the plot’s orientation, the prevailing winds, the available local materials, and energy efficiency into their designs.
The landscape as the core feature of the home is on clear display at Abama, where Omar’s villas, some of which have six bedrooms, seamlessly meld outdoor and indoor space through clever and creative manipulations of space. Their common features, which include floor-to-ceiling windows, clean lines, white or subtle color palettes, and natural materials such as wood, basalt, and stone, allow the outdoors to become a feature of interior design.
The minimalism of the architecture extends to the large volumes of the residences, which, despite their large size, maintain a lightness, taking the reflections of the water, the sky, and the outdoor illumination and refracting them into an ever-shifting play of dimension and shadow. Ample empty space lets the elongated geometries of the buildings breathe. The occasional contrasts of industrial materials like concrete and glass, or verdant green walls, maintain the balance of the whole while injecting visual stimulation.
But perhaps the real triumphs of Leonardo Omar’s creations are his stunning outdoor spaces: sun decks open to the sky, shaded dining terraces, comfortable sofas in lounges large enough for big gatherings, secluded corners for two, green spaces, rock gardens, and deliciously patterned tile driveways that inject graphic elements. And, always, tremendous creativity in the shapes, depths, lengths, location, and distribution of the gorgeous pools, whose shades of blue range from celeste to midnight.
Many of Omar’s homes seem to float above water or grow from the ground, with green roofs and walls where you least expect them. The large sizes of the homes are made accessible by the division of adjoining spaces into separate zones, with subtle differences of height or shape marking delineation while still allowing for a seamless flow. Like a deconstructed puzzle, each zone has an internal unity, but clearly fits into the whole.
In addition to the Custom Villa projects at Abama, Leonardo Omar’s studio is behind the design of two 5-star hotels in Adeje: the Royal Hideaway Corales Resort and the Baobab Suites; the Caleta Palms and the Calle de Pilar residential buildings; the Habitats El Duque residential complex; and Abama’s own Las Casas del Lago, an exclusive collection of 10 villas with private pools. He has also designed or is currently working on more than 30 additional private villas, two multi-villa development projects, and a hotel.
The studio has won Canary Islands Design Awards for Interior Design and Residential works, one of which was a home at Abama. In 2019, the studio was the winner in the World Luxury Hotel Awards’ Luxury New Hotel category for the Royal Hideaway Corales Resort project, which also won Spain’s Leading Luxury Hotel Villa in the World Travel Awards that same year. In addition, the work of Leonardo Omar Arquitectos has been featured in numerous publications, including Elle Décor, the Repsol Guide, Condé Nast Traveler, Luces, and El Economista.
We are proud to name Leonardo Omar among the talented architects who have contributed so much to Abama’s excellent reputation for modern house design, and we look forward to more brilliant creations in the coming years.
